The Real Reason the Online Uprising Against Bill OReilly Worked | WIRED

The Real Reason the Online Uprising Against Bill OReilly Worked | WIRED

DECADES-WORTH OF SEXUAL harassment allegations finally caught up with Bill OReilly this week. Fox News officially dropped the conservative pundit and face of its brand following a bombshell New York Times investigation and the weeks of flashy protests that followed, including a giant rally outside Foxs New York headquarters and a plane carrying a #DropOReilly banner flying over Manhattan.But arguably the most powerful force operating against OReilly after the news broke was the laser-focused social media uproar. Far from your standard-issue slacktivism, this particular backlash, singularly focused on convincing advertisers to pull their money from The OReilly Factor. Left-leaning groups like Color of Change, SumofUs, and Sleeping Giants directed their millions of combined followers to litter the social media pages of brands like Hulu, Jenny Craig, and Trivago with public pleas and criticism, leading some 60 advertisers to withdraw from the show.